Fire station could be on the move

FIRE chiefs have dismissed speculation Redditch could lose its fire station but have admitted it may be on the move.

A review in to where the station will be sited in future is currently ongoing, but rumours firefighters could work out of the new base being built in Bromsgrove are unfounded.

Ian Edwards, head of asset management at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said the project to replace the station on Birmingham Road could see it moved elsewhere in the town, although they had not ruled out a replacement building on the current site.

"We are looking to replace the fire station in Redditch as the current building is approaching the end of its service life. This project is in its very early stages and we are not able to confirm where the new fire station will be located, other than it will still be in Redditch."

He added any proposals would need to be approved by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority.

Land next to the fire station is owned mainly by Redditch Borough Council but also in part by Worcestershire County Council and has long been identified as suitable for new housing.

Coun Greg Chance, responsible for planning on the borough council, said there were no firm plans but if the fire station was relocated they would look to develop the site as a whole.

"We believe if the site were to be developed, then it would clearly make more sense to plan and build it all in one go in a comprehensive development," he said.

"We're much less likely to take a piecemeal approach to it and so to a certain extent, the future of that whole site depends on what happens to the fire station."